| Note: This drawing depicts a naked female figure in what appears to be a desert landscape. She is poised almost frontally, her head gently inclined to the right, her arms folded just below her breasts. Her right foot is turned outwards and partly raised above the ground, making her pose slightly unstable. The artist showed little interest in the exact, three-dimensional rendering of the anatomy, but seems to have reveled in the application of watercolor. The centrality of the figure, its large size relative to that of the sheet, and the dark earthy tone of her skin all contribute to make her the dominant motif of the composition. The figure's contours are surrounded by free, energetic pencil strokes which, thanks to the inscription "noir / draperie", can be read as a piece of black drapery that would have covered the sitter's back, from head to toe, had it further materialized. In conjunction with the figure's visible nudity, the drapery heightens the subject's erotic charge. The highly sensual character of Sphinx is typical of Rodin's life drawings, which have been traditionally seen as creative expressions of the artist's brazen sexuality. A palm-tree and a pyramid are visible on the right, in the distance. Albeit summary, the landscape setting effectively anchors the figure, which would otherwise float in the undefined space of the white page - as is frequent in Rodin's drawings. In effect, the linearity of the horizon line contrasts with the undulating forms of her upright female body. The subject matter is quite enigmatic, in the first place because the title inscribed at the top "Sphinx" is synonymous with enigma. Secondly, strictly speaking, the figure depicted here is not a Sphinx, the imaginary creature of ancient Egypt having a human head and breast combined with the body of a lion. The fantastical creature was a favorite motif of the Symbolists, most notably Gustave Moreau. Perhaps putting a more modernist spin on this Symbolist iconography, Rodin's title may signify, on a metaphorical level, that his figure (or the idea of woman in general?) is characterized by a distinctive quality of the Sphinx - namely that her nature is mysterious and inscrutable, forever beyond the understanding of man. In support of her title, the facial features of Rodin's figure are schematic and barely defined - and also hardly expressive - even though they are clearly reminiscent of primitive sculpture.Rodin despised minute and self-conscious draftsmanship. Instead, he valued spontaneity and directness. His practice of drawing without a controlling glance at paper and hand was inspired by an obsession with capturing the movement and wholeness of his motif. This explains why his drawings tend to have free, rhythmical contours. Whether in his gouaches, drypoints, tonal and contour pencil sketches, or watercolours, Rodin demonstrated an admirable sensitivity to the physical qualities of his medium and its abilities to render his visual as well as emotional experience of the model. Sphinx belongs to a group referred to as Rodin's late watercolors. The artist's typical working method and graphic style around 1900 can be described as follows: first, he would draw spiritedly, without taking his eyes off the model, capturing the figure's contours and movements in less than a minute. This first effort completed, he would correct or amplify his first sketch. Finally, he would apply a wash of Sienna, often going over the limits of the line, but also binding together the contours. | |
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